The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday morning that a threat made at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo., was not credible, and one person has been arrested in connection with the incident. The search inside the plant lasted several hours and concluded around 2 am. The situation began around 5.20pm on Tuesday when a phone call came in to Ford’s safety and risk management team. A man on the line claimed to be armed with explosives, a rifle and a handgun. He told them he was barricaded in the second-floor bathroom in the painting area of the floor and that he was unhappy with his work. Ford shut down production and employees at the plant evacuated, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. There were no reports of shots fired or injuries. Sarah Boyd, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said authorities treated it as a “real threat.” “We’re going to treat this as a real and active threat,” he said. The sheriff’s office made the decision to evacuate the plant. “We have no confirmation that anyone is there, but we will treat it as if there is,” he said. “Our next step is to enter this building.” Several agencies joined the search at the Ford plant in Claycomo. The search continued at the massive facility as the clock struck midnight Wednesday morning. They joined the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Claycomo Police Department, along with the FBI. About a dozen officers were originally on the scene and additional units were called. Around 10:15 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they had not located anyone in their initial search of the area where the suspect claimed to be barricaded. Employees were told to evacuate the scene. Most of the employees told KMBC’s Peyton Headlee that they had just started their shift. Some employees said there was no clear message about what was happening: They heard a rumor and employees began to leave the plant. Other employees said they were told there was an active shooter and to leave the plant. Employees said it was a scary situation and many details are missing. The UAW issued a brief statement on the issue. “The UAW is closely monitoring a possible active shooter situation at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant,” the union said. “We stand with our UAW family at KCAP and will continue to fight for a safe workplace for all.” The sheriff’s office believed the call may have been “affecting.” plant The caller named the supervisor, but authorities have not contacted the person. The possibility that the situation was a hoax was not ruled out as part of the sheriff’s office investigation. “Our special tactics and response team is entering the plant to find the source of the threat,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Tuesday night. “It is possible that this is a call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise. Our negotiators are also on the scene and have not been able to make contact.” On Wednesday morning, after authorities announced the call was a hoax, law enforcement agencies addressed the seriousness of “swatting” calls. “This hoax created a huge strain on law enforcement,” Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said at a news conference Wednesday morning. An FBI official said hit calls are criminal events that can have very real consequences. “Making false claims takes away from our real jobs and our resources to deal with real incidents,” the spokesman said. Arrest pending Clay County Sheriff Will Akin announced at Wednesday morning’s news conference that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident. Clay County deputies, Kansas City and Claycomo police and the FBI are working with prosecutors to consider appropriate charges in this case. No further details about the arrest have been released at this time. Messages to Ford have not been returned.
Claycomo, Mo. —
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday morning that a threat made at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo., was not credible, and one person has been arrested in connection with the incident.
The search inside the plant lasted several hours and concluded around 2 am
The situation began around 5:20 pm on Tuesday when a phone call came in to Ford’s security and risk management team.
A man on the line claimed to be armed with explosives, a rifle and a handgun. He told them he was barricaded in the second-floor bathroom in the painting area of the floor and that he was unhappy with his work.
Ford shut down production and employees at the plant were evacuated, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
There were no reports of shots fired or injuries.
Sarah Boyd, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said authorities treated it as a “real threat.”
“We’re going to treat this as a real and active threat,” he said.
The sheriff’s office made the decision to evacuate the plant.
“We have no confirmation that anyone is there, but we will treat it as if there is,” he said. “Our next step is to break into this building.”
Several agencies joined the search at the Ford plant in Claycomo
The search continued at the large facility as the clock struck midnight Wednesday morning.
They joined the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Claycomo Police Department, along with the FBI.
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About a dozen officers were originally on the scene and additional units were called.
Around 10:15 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they had not located anyone in their initial search of the area where the suspect claimed to be barricaded.
Employees were asked to evacuate the scene
Most of the employees told KMBC’s Peyton Headlee that they had just started their shift.
Some employees said there was no clear message about what was happening: They heard a rumor and employees began to leave the plant.
Other employees said they were told there was an active shooter and to leave the plant.
Employees said it was a scary situation and many details are missing.
The UAW issued a brief statement on the issue.
“The UAW is closely monitoring a possible active shooter situation at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant,” the union said. “We stand with our UAW family at KCAP and will continue to fight for a safe workplace for all.”
The sheriff’s office believed the call may have been “spoofing”
The sheriff’s office said the caller provided a name that did not belong to an actual employee at the plant. The caller named the supervisor, but authorities have not contacted the person.
The possibility that the situation was a hoax was not ruled out as part of the sheriff’s office investigation.
“Our special tactics and response team is entering the plant to find the source of the threat,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Tuesday night. “It is possible that this is a call, but we will treat the threat as real until we can prove otherwise. Our negotiators are also on the scene and have not been able to make contact.”
Early Wednesday morning, after authorities announced the call was a hoax, law enforcement agencies addressed the seriousness of the “swatting” calls.
“This hoax created a huge strain on law enforcement,” Clay County Sheriff Will Akin said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
An FBI official said hit calls are criminal events that can have very real consequences.
“Making false claims takes away from our real jobs and our resources to deal with real incidents,” the spokesperson said.
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There is a heavy police presence outside the Ford assembly plant in Claycomo.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office says they are investigating a possible threat. It is currently unclear what that threat is.
Many employees have evacuated and access roads are blocked. @kmbc pic.twitter.com/U5OcGJwevY
— Peyton Headlee KMBC (@PeytonKMBC) July 19, 2023
Arrest made under threat
Clay County Sheriff Will Akin announced at Wednesday morning’s news conference that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident. Clay County deputies, Kansas City and Claycomo police and the FBI are working with prosecutors to consider appropriate charges in this case.
No further details about the arrest have been released at this time.
Messages to Ford have not been returned.
